Georgia requires 20 credits for study-based residence permits

What the new study-permit rules require

Georgia's parliament passed amendments to the Law "On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons" in third reading with 81 votes, tightening study-based residence permits drafted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The package targets foreign nationals using university enrollment as a long-stay workaround rather than for genuine study.

Foreign students must now accumulate at least 20 credits per academic year, described by Deputy Interior Minister Darakhvelidze as roughly one-third of the annual load. Falling short ends the residence right. A permit can also be revoked if a student's status is suspended for 90 days or more or if the holder leaves Georgia for 183 days or more in a year without good reason.

Applicants must submit a recognized international language certificate in the program's language of instruction or pass a Georgian or foreign-language exam run by the National Assessment and Examinations Center. The government will publish the list of accepted certificates. A new D6 visa category covers minors studying in Georgia, issued for up to one year.

Who feels the squeeze

The changes hit foreigners who've leaned on student enrollment or marriage to a Georgian citizen as a softer route to residency. Digital nomads, retirees and long-stayers in that bracket now face real academic and language thresholds, plus presence monitoring through a unified data system that universities must keep current on enrollments, suspensions and expulsions.

Spouses of Georgian citizens move to a new residence-permit category with sham-marriage screening. Sham marriage for migration purposes becomes a criminal offense carrying deportation, re-entry bans, fines or imprisonment. Short-term visa-free entry for tourists is untouched.

Universities and vocational schools also carry new weight: failing to feed student status updates into the state system risks fines or loss of authorization to enroll foreigners.

Timing and next steps

Parliament took up the bill under accelerated procedure on June 23, 2026 and adopted it shortly after. Official and university channels have told international students the new requirements apply "starting from the next academic year," tying practical rollout to the upcoming intake rather than current permit holders mid-cycle.

Anyone enrolling, renewing or planning a student-based move should confirm article-by-article effective dates with the Public Service Development Agency or their institution, since the published summaries don't lay out a consolidated schedule.

Read our full Georgia guide for the complete picture.